Just moments before the trial for the alleged gunman behind the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park was about to begin, a plea change was announced in the case.
So what does that mean for the case?
Here's what happened:
What does the plea change mean?
As part of the shift, Robert Crimo III, of Highwood, Illinois, agreed to plead guilty to 69 counts against him. That includes 21 counts of first-degree murder, three counts for each person killed in the shooting, and 48 counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors dropped the less serious 48 counts of aggravated battery before jury selection last week.
"Let me be clear, this was not a negotiation, this was not a deal," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said during a press conference following the hearing. "He made a free decision to plead guilty to every single count. He received nothing in exchange for this plea today."
Rinehart noted that the outcome between the plea change and a guilty verdict in the trial were the same.
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"This is a final verdict on 69 counts," Rinehart said. "Let me be clear, if we had gone all the way to trial ... and the jury walked back into the room and delivered 69 counts of guilty it would be the exact same legal effect... the finality of it is the same."
What's next?
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With Crimo agreeing to change his plea in court Monday, a sentencing hearing has now been set.
That means Crimo will be sentenced for the charges he pleaded guilty to on April 23, the judge in the case ruled Monday.
The possible penalty carried for the charges against him includes seven natural life sentences and no possibility of parole. Rinehart added that victims will be given the option to speak at the sentencing hearing with "victim impact statements."
"Our thoughts and hearts remain with the families whose loved ones were senselessly taken, those who were injured, and everyone whose lives were forever changed by this horrific act," Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said in a statement. "Today’s guilty plea is an important step toward justice, but does not erase the pain."
What happened?
The change came just as opening arguments in the trial were set to begin at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan, Illinois. Jury selection was completed last week.
As the change in plea was announced, Crimo's mother could be heard shouting at her son not to do it before a judge ordered her to stop.
Crimo was asked numerous times if he understood what the plea would mean.
Rinehart said prosecutors were "1,000% ready to go to trial" before they learned Crimo was considering a plea change Monday morning.
"Our community may never heal from the defendant's calculated and heinous actions that destroyed so many lives but today is about justice," Rinehart said, adding that "there is a mountain of evidence in this case."
The road to the trial has been bumpy. There were delays partly due to Crimo’s unpredictability, including his rejection of a plea deal that even surprised his attorneys. As potential jurors were questioned last week, he sporadically appeared in court, at times refusing to leave his jail cell.
Prosecutors have submitted thousands of pages of evidence, as well as hours of a videotaped interrogation during which police say Crimo confessed to the shooting. But the 24-year-old has since pleaded not guilty.
His defense attorneys have declined comment ahead of the trial, which was expected to last about a month.
His father, Robert Crimo Jr., a onetime mayoral candidate, was charged in connection with how his son obtained a gun license. He pleaded guilty in 2023 to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct and served less than two months in jail.
He has attended his son’s hearings, sometimes making eye contact with him during court. He declined to discuss the case in detail ahead of the trial.
“As a parent, I love my son very much,” he said. “And Bobby loves this country more than anyone would ever know.”
Crimo Jr. was in court Monday as his son agreed to plead guilty.
What happened leading up to the trial?
Crimo’s erratic behavior has contributed to court delays.
He fired his public defenders and said he would represent himself, then abruptly reversed himself. In June 2024, when he was expected to accept a plea deal and give victims and relatives a chance to address him publicly, he arrived at the court in a wheelchair and rejected the deal.
Residents in the wealthy Highland Park community of roughly 30,000 set along Lake Michigan have mourned the losses deeply. Some potential jurors were excused because of their connections to the case. Ultimately, jury selection concluded Wednesday, with six men and six women being chosen. Six alternate jurors were also selected.
City leaders canceled the usual parade in 2023, opting for a “community walk.” The parade was reinstated last year on a different route and with a memorial for the victims.
“Our community is once again reminded of the immense pain and trauma caused by the Highland Park shooting,” Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said in a statement ahead of jury selection. “Our hearts remain with the victims, their families, and all those whose lives were forever changed by that devastating day.”
The victims killed in the shooting included Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; and married couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35.
Survivors and their families have filed multiple lawsuits, including against the maker of the semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting and against authorities they accuse of negligence.
